Watercraft enthusiasts fare well in finals

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      Henderson's Tracy Kohl and Brian Horner led 12 Southern Nevada racers who placed in the 18th International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) Skat-Track World Finals, the world's largest personal watercraft race, which ended its eight-day run Oct. 24 on wind-swept Lake Havasu, Ariz.
      Kohl, the only area female who placed in the event, finished 13th on the final day out of 28 riders in the Pro-Am Women Ski class, riding her Yamaha to 13th- and 12th-place moto finishes.
      Horner finished fourth overall in the Amateur Runabout 1200 Stock class, setting a new slalom world record for his class. Riding a Sea-Doo, Horner posted a time of 21.52 seconds in the individually timed portion of the event. He finished eighth and fourth in his two motos.
      The finals featured a record 1,972 entries from 40 states and more than 38 nations. The event will be aired Nov. 28 at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN2.
      Two other area Pro racers, Las Vegas' Matt Gondini and Rob Flores of Henderson, both finished 15th. Gondini, riding a Sea-Doo, competed against 27 racers in Pro Runabout 1200, while Flores, aboard a Kawasaki, managed his finish among 37 riders in the Pro Ski class, with 15th- and 14th-place moto finishes.
      In Expert competition, Las Vegas' John Gondini placed 13th in Expert Runabout 785 Superstock on a Sea-Doo, and Henderson's Joey Micali was in Expert Veteran Ski on a Yamaha.
      In the Novice classes, Bob Bracken of Las Vegas was 12th in Novice Sport SS, while Las Vegas' Danny Brown was ninth in Novice Sport Limited.
      In Novice Veteran Ski, four locals placed: Henderson's Joe Barber placed third on a Yamaha, Las Vegas' Greg Matta was sixth on a Yamaha, Las Vegas' Derrick Timney finished 10th on a Yamaha and Las Vegas' Steve Fitzen took 12th on a Yamaha.
      Minden's Blaine Spires finished second in Novice Runabout 785 Limited and fourth in Novice Runabout 785 SS. Spires, the only Nevada rider to place in two events, set a slalom world record in his limited class with a time of 19.87 seconds.
      Dustin Farthing, a 21-year-old from Stuart, Fla., rode a Yamaha to his second consecutive world championship, and France's Nicolas Rius grabbed the gold on another Yamaha in Pro Ski.